Solitude

As another snow storm approaches, I can't help but think how nice it would be to have a nice spring thunderstorm right now. There are few things I enjoy more than a thunderstorm rolling through. Nothing severe... just some thunder, lightning and rain. I just find it so relaxing. Apparently I am not alone in this. There's actually a name for it. Consider me a ceraunophile.

Ridiculous

Ok, this is getting ridiculous. It's supposed to snow again this weekend. This shouldn't be happening. Sunday is March 1st. It's time for spring to start peeking its nose in here. We are sooooooo done with winter.

Getting Old

In light of my newly required bifocals...

4 eyes or 6?

It's official. I'm old.

I finally bit the bullet and went to the optometrist last week. He confirmed what I already knew, I needed bifocals. I picked them up last night and I am having a little trouble getting used to them. I was told it will take 2-4 weeks to get used to bifocals. In my case it will probably be closer to 4 weeks because I've never worn glasses in my life. So it's not surprising I am having trouble getting used to bifocals. I've had them less than 24 hours.

This begs the question: Now that I wear bifocals are you going to call me four eyes or six eyes?

26 years!

February 24th, 1989. Today is the 26th anniversary of my first date with my lovely wife. It's difficult to believe it was 26 years ago I started a relationship with a woman with whom I would spend the rest of my life. Yet 26 years later... here we are.

In actuality our first date wasn't really a traditional date. Tami had a 4 year old daughter, Jessi, and couldn't just take off with some strange guy and leave her child with a sitter. To complicate matters, Jessi had the chicken pox. So, our first date involved Tami and I sitting in her living room eating popcorn and watching a couple of movies on VHS. Remember those? I remember that night like it was yesterday. We watched Red Heat and Young Guns. Both movies were terrible, but I didn't care. I was sitting on the couch next to the most beautiful woman I had ever seen (and for the record, she still is).

26 years is a long time, but it has gone by in the blink of an eye. This summer we will celebrate our 24th wedding anniversary. The way I see it, we are just getting started. We have a lot of life left to live together.

Shoveling Snow

Let's not pretend. Shoveling snow STINKS! I won't waste your time with malarkey such as "It's good exercise" or "It's a a good chance to get some brisk, fresh air". Baloney! It's back-breaking work and I can't stand doing it. But like many things in life, shoveling snow is a necessary evil. You either shovel your driveway or you can't get your car out of the garage. I won't mince words. My back is an aching mess today and my arms are sore too. I did not enjoy shoveling 7 inches of wet, heavy snow this weekend.

On the bright side, Michael was there to help. His assistance decreased my workload, but my back hurts nevertheless. Some guys might be content to have their sons do all the work (like the guy below), but that's not my style. I'm old, but not dead. It's my driveway and it's my responsibility to shovel it.

And to my loved ones in Florida, I will leave you with this:

Winter in Florida

My mom spends winters in central Florida and my sister lives down there. A few days ago, northern and central Florida experienced temperatures in the 40's and even (gasp!) the 30's. My mom and sister then did what any good Floridian would do. They headed south to get out of the cold weather. They spent this weekend in Key West. You can't get any further south than that. After what we've been through in Cincinnati this week, my heart is really breaking for those poor Floridians battling cold temperatures for a few days.

Contrast

Let's contrast the snowy photos in my previous post with something a bit more uplifting. With the joy that February 2015 has brought, it's not difficult for my mind to drift to a better place... like fishing in warm weather.

There are so many things I love about fishing. I enjoy the beauty of solitude that often comes with fishing and sometimes I enjoy the camaraderie that comes with sharing a day of fishing with friends. Let's face it... I have never enjoyed the solitude of shoveling snow out of my driveway and I have never enjoyed the camaraderie of shoveling snow with a bunch of my friends.

Buried Alive

And the hits just keep on comin'!

We are certainly not comparing ourselves to Boston, but we've had our third snowstorm in a week. What was shaping up to be a mild winter, has turned out to be anything but mild. This winter was just a late bloomer.

We're buried here!

Whap!

Have you ever grabbed a newspaper or magazine to swat a bug?

Well, it appears times have changed.

The Deep Freeze

I'm sure by now you must be tired of hearing me whine about winter. I won't say anything today except it's going to -12 tonight, and that's without the windchill. 12 degrees below zero! I will just leave you with that thought.

Here are some winter wonderland photos to warm your heart.

Pitchers and Catchers

As the snow falls again, I sit as a veritable captive in my own home. School is closed again today, the roads are a mess and it's too blasted cold outside to think of doing anything other than sitting in my recliner trying to stay warm. For as cold as it is here in the Greater Cincinnati area, my mind drifts west to a much warmer place. That place is Goodyear, Arizona. Goodyear is the site of spring training for my beloved Cincinnati Reds. Today pitchers and catchers report and they will be followed by position players sometime next week. It's hard to imagine baseball when the weather is so nasty, but in my mind I am dreaming of the green grass of the diamond, the red-brown dirt around the bases, the red and white uniforms and the blue sky of a warm spring day. I wait (not-so-patiently) this morning for the rebirth of spring and with it the new hope of another baseball season. But for now, I look longingly out the window at a sight that only causes me to shiver. A sight that has me wishing I was someplace else, anyplace else... except maybe Boston. Those poor folks have gotten pummeled this winter (but at least their team won the Super Bowl).

A bunch of bologna

Sing along with me folks...

My bologna has a first name, it's O-S-C-A-R. My bologna has a second name, it's M-A-Y-E-R. Oh, I like to eat it every day and if ask me why I'll say... 'cause Oscar Mayer has a way with B-O-L-O-G-N-A.

What red-blooded American doesn't remember that cute kid sitting on a dock with his fishing pole, eating a bologna sandwich and singing that iconic jingle?

Bologna is all well and good, but Oscar Mayer makes more than bologna. They make hot dogs too. Have you ever seen the Oscar Mayer Wiener Mobile?

Well, I have some bad news. The Oscar Mayer Wiener Mobile had a wreck yesterday. Apparently there is a fleet of these strange vehicles and one of them hit a pole near Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. This is not a joke. The accident really happened.

I don't really eat Oscar Mayer hot dogs (I'm a Kahn's guy myself), but I will say this accident is a "Dog-gone" shame. This is about the "Wurst" thing that could have happened. I'm guessing the weather was a bit "Chili" and the Wiener Mobile probably slid on some ice. To be "Frank", I "Relish" the idea of getting the vehicle repaired and seeing it on the road to "Coney Island" real soon.

I'm no comedian, but I think this story is a real "Wiener".

Here's evidence the wreck really did occur:

My Day Off

Happy Presidents Day! I am not at school today because of this national holiday.

So... when is a day off not a day off? When you have to spend the whole day shoveling your own driveway and plowing the church parking lot. There will be no relaxation today. There has already been a lost opportunity for some extra rest. Phone calls from NKU and East Central High School closing for the day woke me earlier than I get up for a normal school day. The forecast is for 6-8 inches of snowy delight. This day is shaping up to be just peachy!

Have I mentioned how much I despise winter and snow?

Here it comes!

Just when I thought we were going to escape winter without a major snowstorm...

It appears Old Man Winter is going to give us a gut punch tomorrow. 4-7 inches of snow is forecast for our area. You have no idea how upset I get over this kind of stuff. I hate snow with every fiber of my soul. I don't want to drive in it, I don't want to shovel it, I don't want to even look at it. We've dodged a lot of bullets this winter, but I don't think we'll be so fortunate this time. I believe we are directly in the crosshairs of this one. Oh woe is me!

7+3=10

We are celebrating today. Sveta turns 7 on the 18th, but we are having the party today. I can't believe my precious, little Russian angel is going to be 7. We are also celebrating the three year anniversary of Sveta being in the United States. On January 31, 2012, Jessi and Barry took legal custody of their daughter. On February 8th, 2012, the new family flew home from Russia and we met Sveta for the first time. One of the things I remember upon seeing her for the first time at the airport is how SMALL she was. She looked bigger in the photos, but she teeny tiny. I also remember how brave she looked. This three year old child walked boldly in a sea of well-wishers and acted as if she owned the place. I'll never forget how "at home" she seemed from the moment she walked into that airport terminal. I've been a Goppa for three years now and I have loved every minute of it.

Today at the party we are giving Sveta (among other birthday presents) a card with ten $1 bills in it. One for each year of her life (seven) and one for each year she has been in the United States (three)... 7+3=10. Credit goes to my wife for this idea. What kid doesn't like getting cold, hard cash in a birthday card? And I imagine ten singles seems like a heap more money than a ten dollar bill. Quantity is where it's at!

Of course we can't forget Elliott. I'm sure he will be in the middle of the action too. All the cake, ice cream and presents is sure to have him in rare form. It's going to be a good day!

Here's our girl. This is the first time we saw her in person. This is through the glass at the airport.

And here she is all "growed" up!

Flip a coin

Teaching is a funny business. For as much crud we put up with, sometimes you realize why you're in this profession. Up until today it has been a rough week... just a real disaster. Then today happens. Today it's like somebody put happy pills in the kids' morning milk. For as bad as the last few days have been, today has been THAT good. The students have been calm, well-behaved and getting along. I'm not really sure what to make of it all. I do know I've gotten some real teaching done today... I'm not used to that either. Today the kids have been attentive and they have actually asked a few investigative questions that surprised me. Hmmmmm... so this is what it's really like to teach. I kind of like it. What will tomorrow bring? Flip a coin.

Daddy to the rescue

Abby got a flat tire on her way home from school today. She had her friend Josh and his sister Becca in the car with her. When Abby called to tell us about it, she said Josh volunteered to change the tire (apparently he had done this before). After a while Abby called back and said Josh was experiencing some difficulties. The lug wrench seemed just a little too big for the lug nuts and he couldn't get the flat tire off. All he was doing was rounding off the edges of the the lug nuts.It was clear my help was needed. I gathered some tools and went to see if I could get the tire changed. When I arrived everything seemed to be in order and Josh had done everything correctly. It ended up the lug wrench in Abby's car was indeed just a little too large. All the difficulties were not Josh's fault. He was the victim of the tools he had available to him. The lug wrench I took fit perfectly (if not maybe a little too small). With the correct tools the tire was changed in a matter of minutes. Daddy to the rescue!

I was thankful Abby had friends with her tonight, especially a boy who was willing to change the tire for her. Had she been alone she would have likely panicked. All's well that ends well... especially when Daddy comes to the rescue!

Snow Fun

It's snowing today. Nothing to get in a tizzy about, but a little blast of winter nonetheless. In honor of this white wonderfulness, I thought these cartoons might make you smile.

Be Alert!

I know this is NOT that funny, but for some reason stuff like this tickles me.

Be Alert!

I would definitely wear this shirt.

Unwatched

My granddaughter, Sveta is homeschooled. She is doing very well and is far ahead of most kids her age. We are so proud of the progress she has made. Here she is learning CPR and getting ready for medical school:

Elliott is not homeschooled (yet), but has definitely gotten involved lately. With Jessi being occupied with teaching Sveta, Elliott is not being watched as carefully as he normally is. This became quite evident lately when Elliott, not under the watchful eye of his mother decided to do this:

That's right, folks. Elliott tried to eat a marker.

In an effort to keep Elliott occupied (and contained) here he is in a large bin. He seems happy in his little baby prison :-)

Super Ben

You may have seen this story on the local news. It's the story of a young, married couple having difficulty with getting pregnant. Through lots of treatments and procedures, they were finally blessed with being pregnant with twins. The twins (Luke and Ben Messer) were born prematurely last summer. Luke quickly overcame his physical problems and went home with his parents. Ben's medical problems were far more serious and he remained in the hospital for a long time. Ben was born with his stomach and liver on the wrong side of his abdomen and he also has congenital heart disease. In his very young life (9 months or so), young Ben has already endured two open heart surgeries and he has a third today. I am praying for that little fella right now. Although Ben will never remember any of this, his parents will. I can't imagine how scary it must for young parents to have their infant child going through so many serious surgeries.

You may be asking why I am posting this story today. Sadly, infants undergo serious procedures every day. So why all this attention on Ben Messer? Why do I have a dog in this fight? Well, Ben's parents, Keith and Tiffany Messer are both former students of mine. In addition, Tiffany is a friend of my daughter Jessi from Childhood. So yeah, I've got some skin in this game. I am praying for Ben and his parents today. Praying for God's mercy, grace and healing touch on that whole family. This sick little boy has been dubbed "Super Ben" by his parents. Won't you please join me in praying for Super Ben today?

Here is the text of the news story. I will post a link to a news video below.

-- Students and teachers at a local school are pulling together to help a baby suffering from heart disease. Luke and Ben Messer's parents have a family friend who's also a photographer, taking pictures of the boys and precious moments they want to remember. The seven-month-old twins have beautiful faces that will melt your heart, but Ben has had a tougher time than Luke health-wise. When they were born, doctors had to take both babies from their mom. "Luke needed to go to the NICU. He had some fluid in his lungs. So we didn't get to spend time with him. He was taken away right away and then Ben was as well. He was taken to Children's," said Tiffany Messer. Ben has congenital heart disease. In his few short months, he's already had three heart surgeries. Monday, Feb. 9, he will have a fourth. Ben's father, Keith, described his son, "I tell people he's the strongest guy I've ever met. He's stronger than I'll ever be. It's unbelievable to see. I mean, I know he'll never remember any of this, but he's been such an inspiration." Tiffany is a teacher at Sharpsburg Primary School in Norwood. The school has rallied around the family by selling shirts and bracelets online to help with expenses and the students have decorated in Ben's honor. "Our school is K-6 and so I have gone and read to each class a story about congenital heart disease because most of the students I have taught previously. So, it was nice to go back and share the story of Ben with them," Tiffany said. Ben is even featured on local billboards honoring "Heart Heroes." The strength he has shown is why he's earned the nickname, "Super Ben." Ben was also born with a disorder that caused his stomach and liver to form on the incorrect side. The family says the doctors, nurses, and support staff at Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center have helped them get through the tough times.

You will need to copy and paste this link into your address bar. Sorry.

http://www.local12.com/news/features/top-stories/stories/teachers-rally-around-baby-heart-disease-24478.shtml

Dreaming

I'm dreaming today.

Dreaming of spring. Dreaming of a vacation. Dreaming of a time when I can retire. Dreaming of a time when I can kick back with a fishing pole in one hand, a beverage in the other and the Cincinnati Reds on the radio. Dreaming of a time when I can spend a little bit of time in a place like this:

Abby's Surgery

Abby had minor oral surgery yesterday. I say it was minor, but in my mind any surgery is serious and causes pain.

She had a frenectomy. A frenectomy is the removal of the frenum (aka frenulum). This is the tissue that connects the lower lip to the gums. There is also one on the upper lip (you can feel it when you put your tongue between your upper lip and gums). Abby had her lower frenum removed because it was pulling her lower gums down and off her teeth. The problem was so serious that the roots of her lower front teeth were almost exposed. Without the surgery the problem would have worsened and caused further complications down the road.

She is starting her recovery today. She is in pain, but says it's not as bad as she thought it was going to be. She is taking her medicine and is otherwise taking it easy. I will say it hasn't slowed her talking much. I was predicting a bit of a quiet weekend around the house, but apparently it takes more than a frenectomy to put Abby's mouth completely out of commission. I'm glad she feels well enough to talk though. I was praying for a successful surgery and God blessed us with that.

Soli Deo Gloria!

Powerless

I won't bore you with the details, but we had a new washer and dryer delivered today. Suffice it to say the ones we had before were secondhand when we bought them and we got many years of use out of them. They finally went on the fritz yesterday and today we have new laundry facilities.

I'm not what you'd call a handy person, but I have installed washing machines and dryers before. It's not too difficult really. Today I was installing the washing machine and it went according to plan. No problem. I was then moving the dryer into place, hooking up the vent and getting ready to plug it in. No problem, right? Wrong. My new electric dryer had no power cord. Believe me. I looked. A lot! I was flabbergasted. This is an ELECTRIC dryer. It has to have a power cord. I could not have been more wrong. This dryer didn't come with a power cord. You had to buy one separately. I called the store to check and my suspicions were confirmed. Yup! Power cord sold separately. I had never heard of such a thing, but off to the store I went and purchased a cord. It wasn't terribly difficult to connect (3 screws and 3 wires) and I had it up and running in a matter of minutes. We are currently running our first load of laundry through the new machines. Hooray! I get to do laundry this weekend!

On a serious note: I am thankful that God has provided me the resources to afford a new washer and dryer. This is a luxury many people don't have. I addition I learned something today. It is possible to buy an electric dryer that doesn't come with its own power cord. Who knew?

Ella who?

February is Black History Month. As part of my social studies class, my students are doing research reports on famous African-Americans. These people come from the areas of civil rights, politics, science, sports and entertainment. In order to help the students select a person to research, I compiled a list of people and gave a very short description of each person. When I had finished the list and the students were choosing their person, one little girl raised her hand and asked, "Who's Elephants Gerald?". I tried to hide my surprise at the question, and did compose myself enough to ask, "I'm sorry. Who?". "You know, that famous singer you talked about. Elephants Gerald". I'm sure you've figured out, as I did, that this girl was asking about Ella Fitzgerald. Oh brother! Can you see what I'm up against each day? Elephants Gerald? SHEESH!

Movin' on up!

Michael has been working his new job at AiG (Answers in Genesis) for just over two weeks. He is really enjoying it so far and I am thrilled he has a job with a Christian organization. I won't go so far as to say he has gotten a promotion, but he did receive some additional responsibility. His two bosses called him onto the carpet yesterday and he was a bit nervous (who wouldn't be?). He thought he'd done something wrong already. It was quite the contrary. They said he seemed like a "tech-y" kind of guy and asked if he might be interested in taking over and improving their record keeping software. I think this is the software they use to track incident reports and things like that. I don't fully understand it, but Michael was pretty excited, so it must be a big deal. Way to go, son! I'm proud of you!

Rejoice!

Sorry for such a negative post yesterday. I know it's not what you're used to when reading this blog. However, life is not always sunshine and rainbows. Sometimes life gets the better of a person and yesterday was one of those days. Today is going to be better. The Lord has blessed me beyond measure and Philippians 2:14 tells us to do everything without arguing or complaining. I failed at that one yesterday. But Psalm 118:24 also says: This is the day the Lord has made. We will rejoice and be glad in it. May that be my attitude today.

Soli Deo Gloria!

I refuse!

We all went to school, right? I have a question. Did it EVER occur to you to refuse to not do assignments your teacher gave in class? I'm guessing you're response is something along these lines: "Are you kidding? I would have been punished at school and then my dad would have whooped my behind when I got home!" I bring this up because of an alarming trend I've noticed among my students. A large number of students REFUSE to do any school work on a daily basis. I'm not talking about an occasional missing assignment or somebody having a bad day and not doing some work. I'm talking about students not doing any school work... ever! This may surprise a lot of you and you may ask questions like, "Can't you call the parents?" or "Can't you impose some sort of consequences?". Well, lack of parental support is a big part of the problem and an even bigger part of the problem is the lack of any consequences that can be imposed. Meaning, there are no consequences available to the teachers of my school. Detention does not exist. Taking away recess is not an option because we have such a skeleton staff that there is no one available to supervise those students. In short, my hands are tied and believe me, the kids know it. They can do no work at all and they know there is not a doggone thing I can do about it. The implied attitude is, "I am going to do whatever I want and I'd like to see you try to get me to do anything otherwise". It's not a pleasant position to be in. I feel like I've been neutered and am completely powerless to change anything.

On a related note, it's these same students who are doing absolutely nothing in class that are being completely disruptive. Isn't that what you'd expect? These kids are in my classroom for hours on end doing nothing. Being bored out of their skulls, they disrupt the class because it's the only thing they can do to pass the time. And for those who might suggest that I make my lessons more interesting or stimulating... I'm practically standing on my head as it is. I'm sensitive to the fact that kids get bored easily and school can be tough. I do my very best to keep things moving and to not let my lessons get stale. But there's only so much a teacher can do. Some kids just aren't going to respond no matter what you do. That's just a fact of life.

Please note--- This is not a commentary on all public schools. I can only speak for my little corner of the world. If you sense frustration in this post you are are on target. The inmates are running the asylum and there is no real hope of anything changing. Now if you'll excuse me, I am going back to work (bangs head against wall).

Old Phil

Well, Old Punxsutawney Phil saw his shadow today and retreated into his warm burrow for another six weeks of winter. UGHHHHHHHH!!!!!! I was hoping Mr. Groundhog would deliver favorable news today, but alas it was not meant to be :-(

Based on Phil's "less than scientific" forecast, I've decided to join the protest with the guy below. This is a cause I can really get behind.

1-2-3

Elliott has learned to count to 3. It is absolutely adorable. Every time he counts, people applaud. “1-2-3” (Wild Clapping). Of course he loves the praise. Now, in order to get straight to the applause he likes so much, he skips 1 and 2 and goes directly to 3. It goes something like this: Elliott, can you count? “THREE!” and then he starts clapping for himself. 1 and 2 have suddenly become insignificant and he goes directly to 3.